Brothers of Charity - Our History

The Brother of Charity Services were founded by the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity Services which is an international, voluntary religious organisation founded in Belgium in 1807, by Canon Peter Triest. The Congregation opened their first services in Ireland in 1883 to provide for mental health needs. In 1938 they started to develop services for people with an intellectual disability and their families as there were no State services available at that time. These services grew steadily over the years. The members of the Congregation made the decision in the late 1990s not to be involved in direct service delivery or operational management of the Services. In 2007, the services were formally transferred from the Congregation to the Brothers of Charity Services Ireland CLG. (BOCSI).

Today, the BOCSI provides services to over 6,000 people annually with an Intellectual Disability and Autism. We are funded under Section 38 of the Health Act. We are committed to a person centred approach and aim to provide, in as far as possible, individual supports for people in order that they may identify and achieve their personal life goals and become valued and equal citizens.